Referee chief Howard Webb has admitted Liverpool have been wrongly denied a penalty in final month’s 1-1 draw with Premier League title rivals Arsenal.
Supervisor Jurgen Klopp was bemused by the choice to not penalise Martin Odegaard for handball following a free-kick in the course of the first half at Anfield.
Referee Chris Kavanagh allowed play to proceed and VAR David Coote determined to not advise him to look at the incident once more on the pitch aspect monitor.
The audio between the officers has now been launched with Webb, the chief refereeing officer of Skilled Sport Match Officers Restricted (PGMOL), explaining {that a} spot-kick ought to have been awarded.
Kavanagh initially mentioned that he had not given a penalty as a result of Odegaard’s “hand was on the ground”. Having watched replays of the incident, Coote instructed assistant VAR Lee Betts: “For me Lee, he’s falling down, he’s transferring his arm in in direction of him, so it’s verify full for me.”
Betts: “Yeah from the temporary look I’ve seen, yeah, agreed, yeah, yeah.”
Coote: “Examine full. Confirming on area choice. No penalty.”
Responding on the Sky Sports activities present ‘Match Officers Mic’d Up’ to host Michael Owen saying he thought it was a penalty, Webb mentioned: “So do I. The referee on the sector recognised that Odegaard had slipped and so his arm had gone in direction of the bottom.
PGMOL chief Howard Webb talks via VAR’s choice to not award Liverpool a penalty for a potential handball in opposition to Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard 👇 pic.twitter.com/xAOm6o4xLM
— Sky Sports activities Premier League (@SkySportsPL) January 16, 2024
“We’ve talked up to now about supporting arms if any individual falls, breaks their falls with the arm and it’s all very pure.
“However on this state of affairs there’s an essential distinction to a traditional participant falling.
“Odegaard doesn’t simply unintentionally fall on to the ball, he truly pulls his arm again in in direction of his physique which is when the ball makes contact with the arm.
“The VAR checked out that facet and he felt it was a case of Odegaard attempting to truly make himself smaller by bringing the arm again in direction of the physique.
“However whether or not it’s instinctive or deliberate he will get an enormous benefit by bringing the arm again in direction of the ball.
“All of the suggestions we received after was very clear – the sport expects a penalty on this state of affairs and I might agree. That is one the place we didn’t attain the correct final result on that foundation.”
Liverpool have been trailing 1-0 on the time however later equalised via Mohamed Salah.
Requested concerning the choice post-match, Klopp mentioned: “I’m fairly positive somebody will come to elucidate to me why it was not a handball however I don’t know the way. I feel all of us agree it was handball.”
Webb issued an apology to Liverpool earlier this season after Klopp’s aspect have been wrongly denied a aim by a VAR error in the course of the defeat at Tottenham in September.
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